Cotton-picking spindle and drive construction



w. B. SMITH March 23, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet l nvenfor William Burris smifhMarch 23, 1954 w. B. SMITH 2,672,720

CDTTDNPICKING SPINDLE AND DRIVE CONSTRUCTION Filed April s, 195o 2sheets-sheet 2 :n WW

nventor William Burris Smifch Patented Mar. 23, 1954 COTTON-PICKIN GSPINDLE AND DRIVE CONSTRUCTION William B. Smith, Greenville, Miss.,assignor of one-half to Hugh A. G

amble, Greenville, Miss.

Application April 3, 1950, Serial No. 153,600 9 Claims. (Cl. 56-41) typemechanisms therefor.

The spindle type cotton picker as shown, for example, in Patent1,747,566 issued to Hiram N. Berry, February 18, 193D, comprises aplurality of rotatable picking spindles supported by and projecting froma rotary drum or cylinder. drum is rotated on a vertical axis and movedalong the side of a row of cotton plants While the vertical rows ofrotary picking spindles are successively projected into the plants toWind off the cotton fibers. The rotary picking spindles Wind oii orextract the cotton fibers from the bolls of the cotton plants byengaging the nbers and wrapping or Winding the bers on the spindles asthe spindles rotate. The picked cotton on the spindles is removedtherefrom after the spindles are Withdrawn from the cotton plants byvertically arranged laterally movable stripper bars through which thespindles project. The projecting picking spindles are subject to damageby being bent or broken during engagement with large stalks or branchesof cotton plants unless the spindles are flexible or iiexibly mounted topermit them to be deected without bending or breaking. The presentinvention relates to a modified iiexible rotary spindle construction andto the mounting and driving arrangements for o such spindles.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved flexible rotarycotton picking spindle and spindle drive for use in rotary type cottonpickers.

It is another object of this invention to provide a iiexible cottonpicking spindle construction in which the spindle is prevented frombeing damaged by unusual deflections, and in which the rotary spindle issupported so as to prevent whipping action, and in which the ilexiblespindle drive does not permit the spindle to be stretched outwardly.

It is another object of this inventtion to provide iiexible spindleswith an improved driving construction which assures uniform rotation ofeach spindle of a vertical series of exible spindles.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improvedfrictional drive for a series of flexible spindles operated to rotatethe liexible spindles after they have penetrated the cotton plants.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art hub I8 of a driving gear I9.

2 from examination of the following description of the preferredembodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevational View of a cotton picking unit withparts broken away and shown in section.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view of the device takenalong line 2-12 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the device taken along line3-3 of Figure 2.

Referring to Figure l of the drawings. the horizontal base plate of arotary cotton picker is indicated by the numeral I0. The plate I0 isconnected to the top plate II by a vertical apertured side plate I2 toform a partial enclosure for the spindle carrying and driving mechanismsto be described hereinafter. The general arrangement of this type ofcotton picker is shown in the copending application of Hugh A. Gamble,Serial Number 787,052, filed November 20, 1947, now Patent 2,540,046, towhich reference is hereby made.

A rotary picking spindle is indicated by the numeral I5, a completepicker assembly including about thirty-six vertical rows of eighteenspindles each. In Figure l, only two spindles I5 of such a vertical roware shown, in order to simplify the drawings. The spindle i5 includes apicking portion I6, which may be longitudinally fiuted and notched in aconventional manner as shown for example in Patent No. 1,818,444 issuedto L. E. Wirth on August l1, 1931. Each spindle I5 is connected by aiiexible member to the The iiexiblef member may be two forked members2v? and 2l connected by pivot pins I'! forming a conventional universaljoint 22, as shown in Figure 2, The member 20 may be brazed or solderedin a recess in the end of picking portion It, and the member 2I may bebrazed or soldered in a recess in the hub I8. The sleeve is may be thehub of the bevel gear I9, as shown in Figure 2. The hub or sleeve I 8 ismounted for rotation in a ball bearing 23, the bearing being clamped ina tubular housing 2t projecting laterally from the vertical supportingtube 25. A threaded ring 26 may be used to secure the bearing 23 in itshousing 24. The housing 2d may be welded to the supporting tube 25 ormay be formed integral therewith.

There is a vertical tube 25 for each vertical row of spindles I5. Thelower end of each, tube 25 may be closed by a plug 2l having aprojecting stud member 28. The member 28 is positioned in a suitablesocket 29 in a rotatable disc 3|), the latter being adapted to rotatewith the vertical drive shaft 3|. The stud 28 and socket 23 permit thetube 25 to be tilted With respect to or to be moved toward the axis ofshaft 3 I. Within the tube 25, a rotary shaft 32 is journaled in ballbearings 33 and 34. The shaft 32 has a plurality of driving gears 35secured thereon in engagement with the bevel gear I9 of each spindleassembly. Near the top of tube 25, the shaft 32 is provided with adriving roller 33 secured thereto and adapted to engage the periphery ofa driving disc 31, the latter being supported to rotate about the shaft3| in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of shaft 3|.Shaft 3| may be continuously driven from Ya suitable source of power(not shown) through the bevel gear 33. Ball bearings 33 and t0 areprovided for shaft 3| and may be secured to base plate I0 and top plateII, respectively. rEhe upper end 4| of each tube 25 is positioned in aradial slot [i2 of a disc 43. Disc 43 is secured to and carried by theshaft 3|. The driving d'mc 31 is carriedL by a hub 45 journalled in abearing 45 carried by a horizontal plate 46 secured to the side plate I2and spaced downward from the top plate EI. The hub 4t is keyed to abevel gear i1 adapted to be driven from the same source of power whichdrives gear 38, the gears 41 and 38 being driven in opposite directions.A suitable ball bearing 4S may be provided between the disc 31 and shaft3|.

The stripper mechanism may include a vertical bar 50 for each verticalrow of picking spindles I5. The stripper bar 50 is supported by guidebars I and 52 secured to and projecting'laterally from the tube 25. Theguide bars 5l and 52 extend through suitable openings 55 in the stripperbar 50 and a roller type bearing 53 carried by a stud 35 supported bythe stripper bar may be provided to permit the stripper bar to be movedback and forth freely on the guide bars, A wear plate *51 may be securedto the flange portion of the stripper bar 50 for engagement with theguide bar 5|. The stripper bar 50 may be channel-shaped cross-sectionand is provided with flanged apertures through which the spindles I5project. The upper and lower ends of each stripper bar 50 are providedwith rollers 54 and 55 mounted on studs 53, and the rollers 54 and 55engage cams 56 and 51 for guiding the path of travel of the stripperbars. The cams 55 and 51 may be similar to those shown in theabove-mentioned application of Hugh A. Gambie. After a row of pickingspindles I5 has penetrated a cotton plant or plants, the cams 53 and 51shift the stripper bar 50 toward the drive shaft 3| causing the stripperbar 50 to engage the projecting portions 24 of tube 25 and thereby tiltor shift the tube 25 until the driving roller 35 makes frictionalcontact with the periphery of driven disc 31, thereby causing shaft 32t0 rotate a vertical row of the spindles I5 in the cotton plants. Thestripper bar 50 also serves to stabilize the rotating spindle by meansof a bearing sleeve 58 supported by a coil spring 55 secured to a flangeor shoulder 53 of the bar 50. The sleeve 58 resiliently supports thespindle i5 outward of the flexible portion of the spindle,` and therebytends to prevent whipping action of the spindle during rotation. Asshown in Figure 2, the coil spring 59 may be provided with a guard orshield 5I of rubber and enclosing the spring to prevent cotton fibersfrom becoming tangled in the spring. The flexible connector betweenspindle portion I6 and hub I8 may be a universal joint coupling 22 asshown in Figures 1 and 2. The flexible connector permits the pickingportion of the spindle to be deected when struck by stalks of the cottonplant, thereby avoiding bending or breakage of the spindles. Theflexible connection prevents the spindle from being drawn or stretchedoutward from its supports and bearings if a heavy stalk should becomecaught between several adjacent spindles, and the spring 59 returns thespindle to normal position after vit is disengaged from the stalk of theplant.

A cotton picker having the improved spindle and drive arrangements shownherein operates in a manner to that described in my copendingapplication Serial Number 98,839, now Patent No. 2,605,600, issuedAugust 5, 1952. After a vertical row of spindles has been rotated in thecotton plants and has passed from the cotton plants, the cams 56 and 51cause the stripper bar to move outward from the shaft 3| therebypermitting roller 35 to disengage from driving disc 31 to stop spindlerotation. The stripper bars are then moved further in the outwarddirection to cause the sleeve or bushing 50 to strip or doff cottonnbers from the spindles I5 for collection by pneumatic or other means,as is well understood in the art.

This invention contemplates the use of Vvarious forms of bearings,guards, drive connections, and the like, as it Will be readily apparentto those skilled in the art that many such variations are possiblewithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

i. En a cotton harvester movable along a row of cotton plants and havinga picking unit including vertical rows of rotatable picking spindleassemblies supported for movement into and out of said cotton plants, apicking spindle and drive assembly comprising in combination, aplurality of cotton picking rotary spindle members, a driving gear forrotating each of said spindle members, flexible drive couplingsconnecting each of said gears to said spindle members, a rotatablevertical shaft, gears on said shaft in engagement with said spindlemember driving gears, and driving means frictionally engageable withsaid shaft for rotating said shaft, gears, flexible couplings. andcotton picking spindle members.

2. In a cotton harvester movable valong a row of cotton plants andhaving a picking unit including vertical rows of rotatable pickingspindle assemblies supported for movement into and out of said cottonplants, a picking spindle and drive assembly comprising in combination,a plurality of cotton picking rotary spindle members, a driving gear forrotating each of said spindle members, universal drive couplingsconnecting 'each of said gears to said spindle members, a rotatablevertical shaft for each of said vertical rows of spindle assemblies,gears on said shaft in engagement with said spindle member drivinggears, and driving means frictionally engageable with the upper end ofsaid shaft for rotating said shaft, gears, universal couplings, andcotton Ipicking spindle members.

3. In a cotton harvester kmovable along a 'row of cotton plants andhaving a picking unit including vertical rows of rotatable pickingspindle assemblies supported for movement into land yout of said cottonplants, a picking spindle and drive assembly comprising in combination,a plurality of horizontally-extending cotton picking rotary spindlemembers, a driving gear for each of said spindle members, universalcouplings connecting each of said gears to said spindle members, :a

rotatable Vertical shaft, gears on said shaft in engagement with saidmember driving gears, a bearing sleeve for and engaging a portion ofeach of said spindle members, resilient means engaging said sleeve forsupporting said sleeve, and driving means engageable with said shaft forrotating said shaft, and cotton picking members.

4. In a cotton harvester movable along a row sal coupling.

5. A rotary picking spindle assembly as dened in claim 4 in which saiduniversal coupling versal joint coupling.

6. In a cotton harvester movable along a row oi.' cotton plants andhaving a picking unit inrotatable picking spingaging said bearing sleeveand surrounding said coupling for resiliently supporting said bearingsleeve and said cotton picking member.

'7. A rotary picking spindle assembly as defined in claim 6 andincluding a lexible guard enclosing said coil spring.

said guide bars and having apertures through which said picking spindlemembers extend, bearing sleeves engaging said picking spindle membersadjacent said universal couplings, and spring means secured to saidbearing sleeves and to said stripper bar for resiliently supporting saidbearing sleeves and said cotton picking spindle members.

9. A picking spindle and drive assembly as defined in claim 8 includingrotary driving means frictionally enga-geable with said shaft forrotating said shaft, gears, universal couplings, and picking spindlemembers, and cams engaging the ends of said stripper bar for shiftingsaid bar and said tube laterally for engaging said shaft with saidrotary driving means.

WILLIAM B. SMITH.

References Cited in the le 0f this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 243,132 Hastings June 21, 1881 407,360 Manning June 23, 1889574,218 Rawl Dec. 29, 1896 1,145,174 Volkmann July 6, 1915 1,786,851Johnston et al. Dec. 30, 1930 2,540,046 Gamble Jan. ,30, 1951

